Improvement in corsets



UNITED STATES PATENT- Orifice..

LAVINIA H. FOY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORSETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,909, dated September 15, 1863.

To all whom it may concern.'

' Beit known that I, LAVINIA H. FOY, of the city and county of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corsets; and I do hereby decla-re that the following' is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in Which- Figure 1 represents a front view of my improved corset, and figures marked No. 1,No. 2, No. 3, No. et, and N o. 5 represent the sep arate pieces from which the corset (shown in Fig. l) is made.

To produce a correctly-formed corset that would tit gracefully, and which could be worn with ease, while at the same time the expense of manufacture was lessened, Was the object in view in making this invention.

By reference to the drawings it will be seen that the parts numbered from l to 5, inclusive, when sewed together, form one side of the corset, and as both sides are alike, the same patterns answer to cut the material for both sides. Again, all of the seams are regular-that is, no gathering is required in sewing them up. For instance. it' No. 2 is turned over on top of No. l, then the edges a a will match, and it' the piece No. 3 is turned over on top of No. 2, the edges b b will match, and in like manner will the edges c c and d d, and when the several parts are seWed together, which can be done by machinery, and With great ease and dispatch, owing to the regu larity and correspondence of the edges, as above noticed, a form is produced which tits very gracefully the form of the wearer. It will be noticed that the enlarged tops of Nos. 1, 2, and 3 give the proper and necessary fullness for the bosom, while the enlarged bottoms of Nos. 3 and 4 produce the required form to `t over the hips; and the tops of Nos. 5 and 4 are such as to render the t under the arm and upon the shoulder-blade both neat and easy-the centers of all the pieces, when combined, producing a gradual and suitable contraction to tit the Waist. The corset is fastened in front by metal clasps A A A, (connected with the metal springs in the usual manner,) and laced up the back, as seen at B.

From the foregoing description it Will be seen that corsets can be manufactured, according to my invention, from cloth Woven in the ordinary looms and manner, and yet afforded at a price as low if not lower than the imported Woven corset, While the quality of' the former far exceeds the latter, and the form is, if anything, more perfect, since the required fullness is thrown into the exact place required, thus obviating all straining or twisting of one part to conform to the pressure or strain on another part. Rattan and Wha-leboue strips can be inserted in the usual manner and in such numbers as may be desired. It will be furlher observed that no small gores are required to be inserted in my corset, as is the case with the common corset, and hence the trouble and delay in sewingin and around the sharp points of such gores are wholly obviated.

`Having described my improved corset, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv Forming the corset from the peculiar shaped pieces Nos. l, 2, 34, and 5, substantially as shown and described.

LAVINIA H. FOY.

Witnesses:

ALLIN THAYER, HELEN E. GREEN. 

